Friday, January 11, 2019

Waikato Times letter of the week #89

From the edition of Thursday 10
January. As always, spelling, punctuation, grammar and logic are
exactly as printed in the Waikato
Times.

New measures for drones

The impending
danger to society was evident from the moment that private drones became a
marketable commodity, but politicians world-wide have done nothing to manage
their use. How must they act to recover this situation? Could they make some
unpopular decisions; like grounding all private drones until compulsory
countermeasures such as onboard transponders (like aircraft IFF) enabled them
to be identified instantly? Or insisting that drone manufacturers provided
authorities with the means to countermand the instructions sent to drones by
their operators. Unfortunately, we already need measures to curb the activities
of fools who cause danger with fireworks, alcohol, drugs, motor vehicles,
bikes, and scooters. While they are curbing these antics, they could have a
serious campaign against the low-lifes that litter our streets with fast-food
and drink containers. Political success would be more achievable if they
concentrated on things that they can fix, rather than melodramatic panic over
climate change; which has been cycling on for millions of years. Could it be
that stone-age mankind would have averted this if they had built cycle tracks? Do
not hold your breath, the polling agencies that politicians rely on, continue
to provide services that do not reflect reality or societal needs.